Freeport Minerals Company

Freeport Mcmoran Resource Partners

Freeport Research and Engineering Co.

Jody J Taravella

Vivian C Astley

Tadeusz K Wiewiorowski

Phillip D Mollere

Michael A Murray

Rudolph R Milan

An improved process for treating spent alkylation acid to recover a sulfuric acid product suitable for use in wet process phosphoric plants particularly those which recover uranium as a byproduct. The process utilizes heat and agitation to polymerize the liquid, soluble organic impurities normally contained in spent alkylation acid to insoluble, carbonaceous solids. The carbonaceous solids formed are relatively inert in acidic environments, easy to handle and have valuable cation exchange and impurity scavenging properties.

Spent alkylation acid treatment process

Wet process phosphoric acid, stabilized with respect to the precipitation of solids upon aging, and containing significantly reduced levels of magnesium and aluminum, is prepared by the controlled addition of fluosilicic acid to wet process filter grade phosphoric acid followed by a series of evaporation, crystallization and centrifugation steps. Sufficient fluosilicic acid is added to provide a fluorine to magnesium ratio of about 2.5:1 to 10.1:1, preferably 5:1. The final product, which has a P.sub.2 O.sub.5 content of at least 56 percent, contains low amounts of magnesium and aluminum, and exhibits low solids precipitation characteristics during shipment, storage and eventual processing into end products such a fertilizers.

Method for producing stabilized wet process phosphoric acid with low

The present invention relates to the processing of phosphoric acid by crystallization starting with phosphoric acid and adding relatively large amounts of fine, relatively pure seed crystals to acid which has been cooled to supersaturated conditions. Crystallization thereafter proceeds under conditions which substantially favor growth on the seeds which are added and disfavor secondary nucleation. The present invention particularly describes a seed crystal generator for use in the foregoing process in which relatively high purity phosphoric acid, containing 60% to 66% P.sub.2 O.sub.5 is cooled to a temperature of at least 5.degree. to 10.degree. C. below zero and thereafter nucleated under agitation for less than ten minutes in a small crystallizing vessel.

Process for seed crystal preparation for phosphoric acid crystallization

Phosphate rock contained in an acidic slurry is ground by equipment wherein the acidic slurry contacts the metallic surfaces of the equipment. A method for monitoring and controlling grinding ball consumption is provided in which acid-neutralizing particulate iron contained in the acidic slurry is measured and correlated to control curves, which relate particulate iron concentration to slurry pH and slurry pH to the rate grinding ball consumption. If the measured particulate iron concentration equates to an unacceptable ball corrosion rate, the equilibrium of the slurry pH and particulate iron concentration can be varied to maintain a predictable ball consumption. When making the slurry, waste water from other steps of the wet process manufacture of phosphoric acid can be used as part of an acidic diluting medium.

Wet grinding phosphate rock in an acidic slurry

An improved method for producing wet process phosphoric acid with low post-precipitation characteristics from an unclarified dilute wet process phosphoric feed acid is described. The feed acid is processed through crystallization, centrifugation and concentration steps under controlled conditions to produce the desired products. The method also allows for the simultaneous production of merchant grade phosphoric acid and clarified merchant phosphoric acid.

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Harvey, LA, United States of America

Jody J Taravella